Obama should protect a slice of California’s coast: Editorial

The grassy bluffs of Mendocino County have attracted tens of thousands of tourists over the years because of their stunning views of the continent’s edge.

Now, The Washington Post has reported that President Obama is poised to use his authority under the Antiquities Act to designate 1,600 acres along the California coast as off limits to development, along with nearly half a million acres in New Mexico. He should.

Designating the swath of California coast known as the Point Arena Stornetta Lands as a national monument is widely supported by the local community and ensures that the area, already under the protection of the Bureau of Land Management, is preserved for generations. It matters for all residents of California, where too much of our coastline isn’t easily accessible.

The move would lure more tourism dollars to the area and expand the often overlooked California Coastal National Monument — essentially thousands of rock formations and islands off the coast, where, among other things, otters and seals bathe.

Former President Bill Clinton designated the formations a monument in 2000 under the 1906 Antiquities Act in an effort to protect the coastline from off-shore drilling that would interrupt marine life and create potential health risks.

Action by Obama would protect this stretch of seaside land from development.

So far, Congress has failed to do that.

Rep. Jared Huffman, D-Fort Bragg, last year introduced a bill that would have added the land area to the coastal monument, providing protection to the rugged coastal lands that are home to threatened and endangered species such as the California red-legged frog, Behren’s silverspot butterfly and the Point Arena Mountain Beaver. It was an effort first begun by Rep. Mike Thompson, D-Napa, whose district formerly incorporated that area.

And while the legislation passed the House, the Senate has been slow to move on it. That brings us to the State of the Union. Obama said that he would use his authority to protect more of our country’s pristine lands.

Designating this slice of the California coast part of a national monument is a sound way for him to make good on that promise and shield a slice of the Golden State’s treasure for his children and ours.